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beyond that. It’s as though he’s dead inside.”
    I grip my hands together in my lap. From the moment I first saw Nick, his eyes seemed dead to me. There was no life in them at all. Bailey had told me about what had happened to Anna, and before I was even introduced I knew the man I was looking at had to be Nick. My heart squeezed, and I wanted to rush to him and pull him in my arms. I knew then that I had to find a way to help him.
    “If he’s not willing to accept the help he needs then we can’t force him,” Mac says, sitting beside Mia on the couch.
    Mia turns narrowed eyes to Mac. “Like hell we can’t,” she says vehemently. “I hate that he’s going through this. I hate that he’s still hurting so much. But if he’s not willing to do anything to help himself, then we’re taking the choice from him.”
    “Mia—”
    “No, Mac. I refuse to sit by and watch it anymore. It’s gone on too long. Something has to give. He’s my friend. Anna was my sister. If something doesn’t change soon, we’ll lose him for good.” She stops and looks around at us all, determination in her eyes. “I’m not willing to take that chance.”
    We all take in Mia’s words for the truth they are. I may not know Nick as well as everyone else in this room, but even I know he’s on a destructive path. People become reckless when they give up on life. One of my deepest fears, a fear I haven’t voiced, is that Nick may try to do something to end the pain. I can see it in his eyes. The pain is eating his soul.
    “You’re right, Mia,” Jaxon says gruffly, still holding Bailey. “I’ll head over to his place once we’re finished here. See what type of frame of mind he’s in and go from there. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll bust his damn door down.”
    “I’d like to go with you,” I say quietly. I shift in my seat when everyone looks at me. This is the first time I’ve spoken since arriving. “If it’s okay, I’d like to go with you. I know he doesn’t care to see me, but I want to help if I can.”
    Jaxon watches me for a few seconds before he says, “I think that’s a good idea. He may not want to admit it, but I believe he’s not as opposed to seeing you as he likes to think. You scare him, Chris. I think having you there will help.”
    I sit shocked at his words. How in the world could I ever scare Nick?
    Jaxon registers my shock and explains. “You make him feel. He watches you when he thinks no one’s looking. There’s life in his eyes that hasn’t been there in a long time. He doesn’t like it. In his mind, he’s still committed to my sister and probably feels like he’s betraying her for feeling something for someone else. I’ve known it for a while and have been waiting for him to realize it too. But he’s obviously still so deep in his grief that he can’t see it or is trying very hard not to see it.”
    Still stunned at his words, I look around the room at the others. They’re all watching me expectantly. Do they all think this? If only I could believe what Jaxon is saying. But it’s hard when Nick constantly looks down his nose at me.
    I glance down at my hands and squeeze them together. When I look back up to Jaxon, he’s still watching me. Gathering my courage and hoping Nick won’t flip his shit when he sees me, I ask Jaxon, “When do we leave?”

    We pull up to Nick’s house an hour later. He has a large chunk of property that’s covered in trees. The woodland is beautiful. With the season changing, most of the leaves’ colors are changing to yellows, reds, and oranges.
    I’ve only ever been out here once and that was at night. This is my first real glance at his home. The two-story is in need of a serious paint job and maintenance. The light blue paint is peeling and part of the porch is sagging. However, overlooking that, the house is gorgeous. It’s old and has a wraparound porch. I look to the left as we pull to a stop and see a tire swing hanging from an old oak